¹Since 1949, Taipei has been
the "provisional" capital of the Republic of China,
formally Nanjing on the mainland remains the official
capital. Taipei was also the capital of the province of
Taiwan until 1 Jul 1957 when is was moved to Chunghsing
(Jhongsing) Village.

² The Republic
of China (ROC) signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) in 1968, and deposited the instrument of
ratification on 27 Jan 1970 and was considered a member
of the IAEA. After 25 Oct 1971 the ROC was expelled from
the UN and the IAEA; The People's Republic of China
acceded to the NPT on 9 Mar 1992. The ROC signed the
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (NTBT) on 23 Aug 1963 and
deposited the instrument of ratification on 18 May 1964.
The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) was
signed the ROC in 1972, before it entered into force,
but it's signature on this treaty is not officially
recognized because Taiwan has not been considered to be
a sovereign state. For the same reason, the ROC was not
allowed to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)
that entered into force in 1997 and has not been
permitted to join the Australia Group (AG), Missile
Technology Control Regime (MTCR) or other
non-proliferation organizations. In spite of its
non-state status, Taiwan's government has repeatedly
stated that it will abide by the terms of the BTWC, CWC,
NPT, NTBT, and MTCR. The International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Covenant
(ESCR) was signed by the ROC on 5 Oct 1967 but not
ratified; on 31 Mar 2009 the ROC finally ratified it,
but the deposit was rejected by the UN.

Territorial Disputes: Taiwan is
claimed by People's Republic of China; involved in
complex dispute over the Spratly Islands
with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly
Brunei, and with China and the Philippines over
Scarborough Reef; the 2002 "Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased
tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of
conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands
occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in
2003, China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting
both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the
Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally
declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea
where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting;
Pratas Islands (Dong Sha/Dongsha Qundao) are claimed by
the People's Republic of China; the ROC claimed
jurisdiction over Mongolia, but under Soviet pressure
the ROC recognized Mongolian independence in 1947,
however, in 1953 the ROC repudiated this recognition and
reasserted its to claim jurisdiction over Mongolia. In
2002 Taiwan announced that it would now require
Mongolian citizens to produce passports, in effect
recognizing them as foreigners.